ENIGMATIC OCCULT

“Oh my god! For how long, I’ve been sleeping, why my head feels so heavy and nostalgic my eyes puffed up?”

Then, I glanced up, with my eyes barely slit sized, I saw a prudent man, most probably in his 60’s with white overgrown moustache and beard. He wore a white dhoti and was conjuring some prayers aloud. An enormous lord’s kali’s idol was placed in background, with all sorts of incensed aroma suffocating and choking my respiratory system. Instinctively, it reminded me of movies that depicted tantric casting magic spells for evil souls. Inexorably, I felt my systems shutting off, and exhausted like never before. I dozed off again.

Paranormal mystery’s, has always been discarded by modern sophisticated and so called ‘scientific’ man primitive superstition and obnoxious but his gripping real enthral tale is sure enough to compelled your soul to rethink and reaffirm your believes on occult beyond human understanding and inexplicable for science axioms to prove.
Nightmare, perhaps, I thought as I woke up. Flashback of that nightmare still haunting me.

It’s four in the morning, and everyone’s asleep. Somehow, I felt calm like never before in years, as if I’ve just emancipated from something, captivating me. I sat, aback, it’s my room, my bed, my personal space, yet everything is so strange. I just slept yesterday, it’s not more than 12 hours yet my body feels inexplicably heavy and unaccustomed to the surroundings. I mustered all my strength and paced slowly towards the washroom. Everything feels so different. Huffily I ignored all weird lunatic hunches. I held my brush and still- half asleep gasped for toothpaste when, my eyes fell on mirror. For a moment my entire world turned upside down. A gruesome shiver ran across my spine, paralysing my limbs, my mind. Bewildered, I ran my hands across my scalp, red powdery sindoor glisten in my hair parting and smeared across my face. An excruciating pang of queer perplexed my entire body that it even failed to respond. To escalate my misery my eminent belly made me realise I was pregnant.

Whom am I married to?

When was my marriage?

Whose child I am bearing in my womb?

How could 8 hours of sleep transform my very own existence to this extent?

Is this part of my nightmare? Am I still asleep?
And myriads of questions darted to and forth, every one of them, quizzing me further. I took a sharp blade, and stoked over my wrist gently, a tickle of blood oozed out. It was reality, I am alive this is true, how? My own toughs choked me, I felt giddy. A part of me wanted to scream, I kneeled down and I realised I was crying. I yelled, trying to exhume slightest hints of events that lead me here in a single night. I tried harder and harder arduously to think. Strenuously I thought every way I could, all it turned out was void, a blank. Still clueless, frustrated I banged my fist on tile, and then smashed the mirror, breaking into pieces like me. I smashed hard the washbasin, till it broke apart on floor in two pieces, brimming with dripping blood. Within minutes, the entire floor was trenched with blood oozing out. My arm wrecked up, aching painfully. I felt dizzy, and blacked out.

Next, I found myself back on the same bed with a plastered hand and few bruises on face. my melancholic mother sat besides making futile attempts to control gusts of overflowing emotions within her , but her crimson red, swollen puffy eyes with dark circles revealed the mayhem, she has been going through . Then, I turned away my glance towards my father, whom I always seek for strength, but today, he seemed grieved too, failed to conceal his despair. My mother embraced me and cried, like years of misery heaved upon her. I had numerous questions to be answered but somehow, mother’s lap for a moment made me forget the turmoil, and I felt contented though briefly.

“Mom! How did this happen? How long I’ve been sleeping” I asked, barely able to pronounce a single word without fumbling.

“For 3 years” she dropped dead

“What, just happened to me?” I was shocked, bewildered, perplexed and gloomy. My brain refused to find a justified way to react.

“We don’t know, Aisha, 3 years before you eloped with Sam” she sounded dejected

“What? Why would I ever elope with that son of a b**ch ever” my jaw dropped open, my womb was nourishing that b**tard’s child. How the hell was that possible?

“Yeah! We actually realised, you were not in your own control when we found mantra in your closet and purse.” She said shattering into pieces.

“And I always trusted my daughter, she can never elope” intrigued my father in feeble voice

“Yeah! We to confirm our suspicion, we discussed the matter with your friends who were as shocked as us on revealing the truth. They were equally dumbstruck.” Added my mother.

“What Has he done to me?” I was still trying to recover from what I just heard

“We consulted, many pandits, all of them refused seeing complexity of case, except one who brought you back to us, back to normal. After these many years my patience paid off” she comforted

Oh! That wasn’t just nightmare.

“My darling, please forgive us, we ignored, every attempt of yours to bring your dreams in our concern. We always stick our practicality and scientific upbringing, rather than paying heeds your complaints. I am sorry my child” my dad broke into sobs and walked out of the room, followed by mom, trying to comfort him.

How did this happen? I was still trying to figure out, sew together the broken ends.

3 years ago, I was the chauvinistic 22 year old youngster in my last semester of the mass media course, from the most reputed university of India. From last two years breaking all previous records I stood undisputed topper of my class. Those who weren’t my friends were my jealous competitor. Lovingly, my friends called me’ bhoori’ for the charismatic brown eyes and hairs I possessed over fair complexion. Just like every normal girl I too had a boyfriend swayam. Swayam was a robust hottest chic of the university I’ve been dating since first year. He was possessive freak, And dramatization of events especially our conflicts sometimes pisses me off anyways its ‘part &parcel’ of every relationship. Secret indigent of relationship that adds spice to it.

“I am done with you, Mr. Swayam Singh shekahwat. I never ever seen someone as arrogant as you” Here I am screeching in top of my voice, on our casual fights.

“Look whose speaking. The greatest arrogant of all times Miss. Aisha bhaat. I think you forgot our last fight?” he smirked and smiled.

“Yeah! Yeah!” it melted out everything and we were back on track kissing, hugging. Preparing our arms for next one.
I was waiting for swayam’s extra class to over (that backbencher, he flunked almost every class, so he was rewarded this punishment today along with all the bunkers. Damn! He deserves it). Everyone in the entire university left, I was there alone, waiting for him when, someone grabbed my waist. I turned back, he was the ugliest guy, I’ve seen. Sleek body, darkest shade of complexion and besides all he was one eyed. His tattered clingy clothes clearly mentioned his financial status.

“Excuse me”

“Hey! Aisha! I am Sam, you probably don’t know me” he said

“Hello.” I said of generous courtesy

“Yeah! Well I…I…always wanted to tell you something” he said shyly

“Proceed”

“The day I saw you, I fell for you and from that very day, I wanted to own you, to feel your body” he said profanely
Raze building up within me. I slapped him hard.

“Have you lost it? You lunatic, one- eyed piece of sh*t. Just go and look mirror first” I remembered myself screaming at highest pitch of my voice and within few seconds crowd swarmed there, including swayam who brazenly, beaten him up.

“I’ll take revenge, for rejecting my love, Aisha” he said with a bleeding jaw and cramped up back. After that he went missing for days and never showed up. But since, that day, I had weirdest nightmare. A goddess, who swore she’ll destroy my family, if I refused his marriage proposal. Day by day, these dreams became more evident and vivid. I knew no one would ever believe what; I had been going through so I began chanting mantras to keep me and my family aloof. This is what I could recall.

My phone, I should call swayam. I know he’s there for me after all he loved me. Swayam he’s still there for me. I dialled his number.

“Hey! How you doing?” a pleasant similar voice .my heart was thumping once again beating faster. Yes! I definitely do have him with me. The last ray of hope shone within me

“Hmmm…you know what all happened?” I paused

“Yes! I know. ” he responded coldly

“Can we meet? I’ve this terrible feelings, I want to share with you?”

“I am sorry Aisha; I am getting married this weekend.” And he disconnected

And I lost him too

My phone bopped, there were 23 pictures on my mail id from an unknown number. I cringed back in awe at what I saw in the photograph. It was our marriage photographs, a marriage that I couldn’t even recall. Then electric shrill ran though my body when I scrolled next pictures, I was our private sex pictures. I dropped my phone.

I wonder could simple rejection, go to this extent ruining my life? I am completely ruined now. My life’s devastated. My career, my future, my everything. I am pregnant with my stalker. What a dilemma I am in? How can I prove I was raped, how can I prove to the law that works on evidences that, I was forced to marry, unwillingly. Who’ll ever believe me? I’ve lost everything I had. This social trauma and taboo would one day suffocate me. And how can I give birth to a child, whom I consciously never conceived. My world shattered before my eyes.

I knew what to do. From the same razor, I made deep strokes on my wrist, deep enough to part away veins at ones, for I can’t afford to survive in this world of reality. It’s no better then, enthral world I’ve been living when I was hypnotized for 3 years. That was instead better, atleast I could not feel myself.

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